The present invention relates to a milling tool, especially a gang cutter for a crankshaft milling machine. Such milling tools are rotatably supported in a milling slide of a crankshaft milling machine and are driven through respective drive spindles. Each milling tool comprises a plurality of disk cutters ganged relative to a common rotational axis and spaced from each other by axial spacing elements. One or several of the spacing elements may be constructed as bearing means.
German Patent Publication (DOS) No. 2,630,047 discloses a milling cutter of the type described above. These gang cutters normally comprise a milling arbor or shaft on which the disk cutters are secured. The disk cutters are spaced from each other by rings and the entire unit is clamped together by a central screw. This type of structure is relatively expensive. Yet, a certain play cannot be avoided so that the cutting precision leaves room for improvement. Another drawback of the just described type of structure resides in the fact that due to vibrations fretting corrosion or so-called galling occurs already after a short operational time. Such galling makes the tool exchange very difficult and occasionally it becomes impossible to exchange the disk cutters without damaging the components of the cutting tool. Besides, such galling further diminishes the machining precision of the milling tool. The central clamping of the disk cutters on the milling arbor or shaft requires a very large tightening torque moment which is applied to the single milling tool tightening screw. To accomplish such tightening the respective tightening tools are rather involved and hence expensive.